A communication line is installed in a network by automating a design phase and a configuration phase for the service and by automating failure recovery in either of the phases. In the design phase, an optimal route for the communication line is found, and the network components are provisioned and assigned. If the assigned network components are not available or can not be validated, the components causing the failure are marked, and the design phase is retried without the marked components. After the design phase, the configuration phase begins. The circuit design is tested against actual network components. If the test is passed, the actual network is configured according to the circuit design and the circuit is activated. If there is a network component failure during the configuration phase, the good route elements in the design are released while the failed network components are marked. The design phase is retried.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A service management system for monitoring status of a plurality of network components for use in a telecommunications network, the service management system comprising: an inventory management sub-system operable to analyze circuit designs to determine whether the circuit designs are valid, wherein each of the circuit designs comprise one or more network components of the plurality of network components; a database comprising inventory information related to the plurality of network components, wherein the inventory management sub-system is further operable to update the database to include updated inventory information concerning one or more network components used in valid circuit designs configured in the telecommunications network; and a plurality of element management systems communicatively connected to the inventory management sub-system, and wherein each of the plurality of element management systems is further communicatively connected to at least one network component of the plurality of network components, wherein the inventory management subsystem and the network components communicate via the plurality of element management systems.
2. A service management system as recited in claim 1 , wherein at least one valid circuit design is provisioned in the telecommunications network for use in a private line telecommunications service.
3. A service management system as recited in claim 1 , wherein at least one valid circuit design is provisioned in the telecommunications network for use in a wavelengths telecommunications service.
4. A service management system as recited in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of network components comprises components selected from the group consisting of: cross-connects, device ports and network segments.
5. A service management system as recited in claim 1 , further comprising: a configuration sub-system operable to cause configuration of one or more network components for use in provisioning telecommunications services based on valid circuit designs.
6. A method for monitoring status of a plurality of network components for use in a telecommunications network, wherein the plurality of network components comprises a first network component and a second network component, the method comprising: analyzing a circuit design against inventory information stored in a database and related to the plurality of network components in order to determine whether the circuit design is valid, wherein the circuit design comprises at least the first network component and the second network component; if the circuit design is valid, causing configuration of the first network component and the second network component for use in provisioning a telecommunications service based on the circuit design, wherein the step of causing configuration is performed, at least in part, using a plurality of element management systems comprising a first element management system and a second element management system, wherein the first element management system is communicatively connected to the first network component and the second element management system is communicatively connected to the second network component; and updating the database to include updated inventory information concerning at least the first network component and the second network component used in the valid circuit design.
7. A method as recited in claim 6 , wherein the telecommunications service comprises a private line.
8. A method as recited in claim 6 , wherein the telecommunications service comprises a wavelengths service.
9. A method as recited in claim 6 , wherein the plurality of network components comprises components selected from the group consisting of: cross-connects, device ports and network segments.
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August 27, 2012
June 10, 2014
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